Reclosable dispensing carton



April 14, 1959 w. A. RINGLER 2,

RECLOSABLE DISPENSING CARTON Filed April 7, 1958 INVENTOR. #4 14M 14. fiVG'LE W zw RTT'OQNEYS.

United States Patent RECLOSABLE DISPENSING CARTON William A." Ringler,'Wayne, "-Pa.,- assignorto Diamond Gardner -Corporation,"= Middletowm'Ohio, a- I corporation'of Ohio Application April 7, 1958, Serial No;726,866

16 'Glaimse (C12229- 17) This invention relates to paper cartons-andmore par- 1- tioularly to a reclosable-dispensing carton having an"integral liftable part which, when raised;--provides-- a dis- "pensing'opening for the contents 'of the carton.

A; principal object 'of the inventiorr-isthe provision of aone-piececarton structure' having a tubular -body-and seabend flaps which may beerectedandsecured in conventional-fashion, the'structureincorporating-as apart thereof a'hinged cover-member"which,=whenseparated from the remainder of the carton, provides a reclosabledispensingopening.

*Aiurtherobject of the invention is theprovision of 'an integralfriction -lock' by means-"of which the liftable *cover majr he-maintained in closed position subsequent "toitsinitial-'separationfrorn the carton.

Still a further object of 'theinvention is'theprovision of areclosabledispensing car-tonin-which al-iftable cover r member is 'formed in partfrom the top closure of'thercaritoir and in-part from-three contiguousbody walls," the body wan parts being- --separ able'-from the remainderof thebody walls along lines for -severance,athe structure includinganinner liner forming part which lines the carton Figure 7 is averticaltsectionalwiew similar to Eigure. 6 but illustrating ,-themanner in.,-which:=the;-parts separate when'th'e cover istraised.

Referring first toFigure, 1lof-"thendrawingsn'Lhave therein illustrateda one-piecetpaperboard.blank:cutuand scored to provide .bodywall-s 1,:2,2 3:;and" 4 -in'.a1ticulation in the order. named, the. wall. 41having a glue fiapi 5 con- --trated,'the1 flaps 7 and. 8,:are offullwidth. so :as to overlap throughout substantially.- theirrentireextent in the erected structure zalthough, itwill be; ;understoodthattheewidth -of the flaps may be. reduced to provide. anfeconomyt sealin which 1 only their outer portions overlap to providea glue seamextending tcentrallyaof-the top iclosure. "F'Lhe body wall 3 is providedat its. uperendtwith a:pair.*of.fiap parts. 9 and 10, theflapzpart'9..being .hingedlyoonnected to' the upper edgetof: the .body wall 3 withthe, fiap. part.-:10 20.

articulated to' theflap' 9.;along atline forseverance': 11. This:linemay. taken; the. form. 'of a line fOf cut tbrokenrby several IIZTIOWconnecting.- portions: "12 1 serving to connectv the two flaps together.'A rirn: forming extension 113 is connected to the .outeredge offiappart110, the-exten- 'sioncomprising a central portion14.:1ying-.inprolongation of the flap parts 9 and 10',-andwingportionsHand .16

which are hingedly connectedto'thetopposite side edges of =the centralportion,14 and-overliethe olosure fiaps 7 and 8.

" The body walls 2, 3 .and- 4 are'providedwith lines for t severance 17;-18 and 19;-respective1y and the end closure j' -body walls throughoutthe areas which have been removed to-form-the' liita-ble cover,- thelinen forming part defining a rirn portion:over-rwhich'uthe cover partis fitted when it bisreturned toclos'ed position.

Yet a' tur-ther objectofatheinvention is theaprovision of a dispensing-carton b-f the character described wherein the liftable cover partisufrictionallyretainedwin closed "-pos'ition-byameans 0f. a= reverselyfolded flap bin-godly. connect'ed to the upper edge ofi'the linertorming. partn the said flap beinginitially connected to a second :flapforming a' pottion ot the liftable cover, thevtwoi tfiapstbeing rautomatically severa ble -upon-initial openingxofsthecarton.

llh foregoing: togetherwithether: objects f the invention which willappear hereinafter or:which: will be apparent tothe skillied worker in"the art-upon reading-these =spee'ifioationsj I accomplish:byithat:constructionrand arrangement ofparts of which I? shall nowdescribe-antex- *emplary embodiment.

E R'eferenceisnow :made torthe :accompanying drawings I 'wherein:

Figure l- -is afragmentary: plan view. of a. carton blank b infolded.

Figure 2:is a fragmentarytperspectivetviewiofthezupper r: dbfithe':erectedrcartonillustrating:themannenin which tithe-top closure. isformed.

,Figure' 3tis a;fragmentary!tperspective-yiew similar to fa -Figure 2but illustratingnthetparts:in:folded {andglued .woondition.

Figures 4 and Stare fragmentary perspectiveviews simiztztwooflap partsarezseparatedxtand:thezonenreverselv folded o'tormafriotion lock.:Figure Gris; avwerticaltsectional'tyiemtaken.talnngzithe lines 6-6 ofFigure 3.

" -the innerend of which meets theend of linefor. severance 19.'--Inapreferred embodiment, the 'line 17, 19=and=a21 arelines ofperforation,-whereas-the line ifimay be acut -able bottomolosureflapswhich maybe folded and glued inconventional fashion.

' In the erection and -assembly of the structure, -the -rirn --formingextension 13-will be first-t-infolded to thmposition ill-ustrated indotted line -inFigure 1, a ;striperof ad *hesive' '22- being firstapplied:.to :theouter edge ofi ltthe -extension,--whereupon it isinfolded-walong- :ihe eline for -servance 11, thereby juxtaposing a the-.central portion 14- to body wall 3, with -wing'portions 15 :and .161juxtaposed to body walls 2 and 4;-respectively.""Thewdimensiom'ng-of-theparts is such that the: glue stripe 22 will lie beyond the -lines-forseverance"17; 18 and 19,- aswill -be apparent from the drawings, andthe-width of :the: flaps 9 and '10 is such that theedges"23ofi wingportions 15 and 16 will be spaced inwardly' with respect-to -thel linesof articulation connecting theend'closurfiaps 7 and 8 to theirrespective body walls": The amount ofispacing in- =volved issimply-enough-to clear thelines of articulation -between-the bodywalls'and-end'closure fiaps-so' thatvthe end closure fiaps may. befreely'infolded: without inter- @ference from the extension It will benoted also" that-the length of the extension is such: that the outerendsofwthe ---wing portions 15-and"16=:extend beyond theoutermost -ends'ofthe lines for severance17 and- 19; and similarly,

. the width of theextension is such'.thatnthezpartsoextend forseverance.

j; Subsequent toj:the, infolding; ,andadhesive attaqhrnent carton blankwill be tubed in conventional manner, with flap 5, whereupon the tubularbody will be erected and the end closure flaps infolded and securedtogether.

As seen in Figure 2, the formation of the top end closure is efiected byinfolding the juxtaposed flaps 9 and with the application of adhesive tothe upper surface of flap 9, such adhesive being indicated at 24,whereupon the end closure flaps 7 and 8 are infolded with theinterposition of adhesive therebetween. 7 which contains the score line21 will lie outermost so that the liftable cover member will be hingedto the outermost part making up the end closure. While the liftable partalso folds along the line 21, I prefer to cutscore or perforate the line21 to facilitate the folding of the cover part. It will be understood,of course, that the lines 20 and 21 coincide in the assembled structure.Upon being folded and glued, the top closure assumes the conditionillustrated in Figure 3. The contents will Preferably the flap have, ofcourse, been placed within the container prior to the sealing of one ofthe end closures.

, In the hands of the user, the liftable cover part, which is designatedby the reference numeral 25, will be separated from the remainder of thecarton along the lines for severance 17, 18 and 19, thereby permittingthe cover part to swing upwardly in the manner illustrated, in Figure 4.At such time as the cover part is initially opened, the act of swingingthe part upwardly will cause the flaps 9 and 10 to separate along theline for severance 11. As will be apparent from Figure 4, the flap 9 issecured to the inner surface of the liftable cover part whereas the flap10 will remain articulated to the upper edge of the central portion 14of rim forming extension 13. Thereafter, as seen in Figure 5 the flap 10will be folded outwardly in the manner illustrated. In this position itserves both as a pouring lip for the contents and, when the cover partis reclosed to fit over the exposed areas of the rim forming extension,the reversely folded flap serves a friction lock acting to maintain thecover part in tightly closed condition. In this connection, and as bestseen in Figure 7, the width of flap 10 will be substantially equal to orslightly less than the width of the front wall 311 of the cover part.

The arrangement just described provides an eco-- nomical and easy tomake one-piece reclosable carton. At the same time, the constructionprovides an integral friction lock which will maintain the reclosablecover in the closed position. Without such lock the natural resiliencyof the board tends to partially open the cover,

thereby exposing the contents and permitting it to readily spill fromthe carton should the carton be tipped over.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit of it and, consequently, I do not intend to be limited exceptingin the manner set forth .in the claims which follow.

.formed from contiguous portions of three body walls of said carton,said depending wall portions being defined by lines for severance bymeans of which said cover part may be separated from the remainder ofsaid body walls and folded upwardly along the line of hinged connectionto said end closure, a rim forming extension secured to the innersurfaces of said three body walls immediately below the lines forseverance therein, with portions of said extension projecting upwardlybeyond the said lines for severance and juxtaposed to the inner surfacesof the depending wall portions of said cover part when said cover partis in the closed position, a first flap member articulated to the upperedge of said extension, and a second flap member connected to said firstflap member alon a line for. severance, said second flap member beingsecured to said liftable cover part, said two flap members beingseparable along their said line for severance when said cover part isinitially opened, said first flap member, upon being separated, defininga cover securing flap which, when reversely folded to overlie the outersurface of said extension, provides a friction locking element forsecuring said cover part in closed position.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said extension is formed asan integral part of the carton blank from which said carton is formed,and wherein said extension is of substantially lesser depth than thecarton body walls to which it is secured.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said end closure includes anopposed pair of closure flaps secured together in overlappingrelationship, said closure fiaps having coinciding, transverselydisposed hinge lines therein defining the hinge line connecting saidcover part to said end closure.

4. The structure claimed in claim 3 wherein the hinge line in theunderlying one of said closure flaps comprises a line of perforation,and wherein the hinge line in the outermost of said closure flapscomprises a scoreline.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein said second flap member isadhesively secured to the inner surface of said underlying closure flap.

6. In a blank for a one-piece reclosable dispensing carton, four bodywalls in side-by-side articulation, end closure flaps articulated to theupper edges of the first, second, and fourth body walls, a first flapmember articulated to the upper edge of said third body wall, and asecond flap member detachably secured to the outer side edge of saidfirst flap member, said two flap members havinga combined widthsubstantially equal to the width of said first named closure flaps, arim forming extension articulated to the outer edge of said second flapmember, said extension comprising a central portion lying inprolongation of said flap members, and wing portions articulated toopposite sides of said central portion, said wing portions overlying theend closure flaps secured to said second and fourth body walls,diagonally disposed lines for severance in said second and fourth bodywalls, said lines for severance having their upper ends terminating atthe upper edges of said second and fourth body walls and their lowerends terminating at the side edges of said third body wall atcorresponding points spaced downwardly from the upper edge of said thirdbody wall by a distance less than the width of said extension, and aline ofseparation in said third body wall extending between the lowerends of said lines for severance.

7. In a blank for a one-piece reclosable dispensing carton, four bodywalls in-side-by-side articulation, end closure flaps articulated to theupper edges of said first, second, and fourth body walls, a first flapmember articulated to the upper edge of said third body waH, and asecond flap member detachably secured to the outer side edge of saidfirst flap member, said two flap members having a combined width atleast as great as the width of the adjacent portions of the closureflaps articulated to said second and fourth body walls, a rim formingextension articulated to the outer edges of said second flap member,said extension having a central portion having a width substantiallyequal to the width of said third body wall, and wing portionsarticulated to the opposite side edges of said central portion and lyingbeyond the closure flaps articulated to said second and fourth bodywalls, diagonally disposed lines of separation in said second and fourthbody walls extending between the upper edges of said body walls and theopposite side edges of said third body wall, said lines of separationcontacting the upper edges of said second and fourth body wall atcorresponding points intermediate the ends thereof and contacting theopposite side edges of said third body wall at corresponding pointsspaced downwardly from the upper edges of said third body wall by adistance at least as great as the width of said first flap member, andhinge lines in the end closure flaps articulated to said second andfourth body walls, said hinge lines extending transversely across thesaid closure flaps from the ends of the lines for severance in saidsecond and fourth body walls.

8. The carton blank claimed in claim 7 wherein one of said last namedhinge lines comprises a scoreline and wherein the other of said hingelines comprises a line of perforation.

9. The blank claimed in claim 8 wherein the opposite ends of saidextension extend outwardly beyond the hinge lines in said closure flaps,and wherein the width of said extension is in excess of the width ofsaid first flap member.

10. In a knocked-down one-piece reclosable dispensing carton, four bodywalls in side-by-side articulation, end closure flaps articulated to theupper edges of the first, second and fourth body walls, a first flapmember articulated to the upper edge of said third body Wall, and a sec-0nd flap member detachably secured to the outer side edge of said firstflap member, said two flap members having a combined Width at least asgreat as the widths of the closure flaps articulated to said second andfourth body walls, an extension articulated to the outer edge of saidsecond flap member, said extension comprising a central portion of alength substantially equal to the width of said third body wall, andwing portions articulated to the opposite sides of said central portion,said second flap member lying in infolded condition so as to overliesaid first flap member, with the central portion of said extensionjuxtaposed to the inner surface of said third body wall and said wingportions juxtaposed to underlying portions of said second and fourthbody walls, a line of separation extending between the opposite sideedges of said third body wall, said line of separation underlying thecentral portion of said extension, diagonally disposed lines ofseparation in said second and fourth body walls extending from the endsof said first named line of separation to corresponding points along theupper edges of said second and fourth body walls, the wing portions ofsaid extension being of a size to overlie and cover said diagonallydisposed lines of separation, said extension being secured to portionsof the carton body walls contacted thereby in areas thereof lyinginwardly beyond the said lines of separation.

11. The structure claimed in claim 10 wherein the uppermost edges ofsaid wing portions are spaced inwardly from the lines of articulationbetween said secend and fourth body walls and the closure flapsconnected thereto by a distance suflicient to permit the said closureflaps to be infolded without observation by said wing portion.

12. In a reclosable dispensing carton, a tubular body, an end closure atone end of said body having a liftable cover part, said cover partcomprising a top wall defined by an end portion of said end closureseparated from the remainder of said end closure by a hinge lineextending between opposite side edges of said end closure, and dependingwall part formed from adjacent wall areas of the carton body wallscontiguous the hinged end of said end closure, said depending wall partsbeing defined by lines of separation in the said carton body walls, thelines of separation in an opposite pair of said body walls terminatingat the ends of the hinge line in said end closure, a rim forming memberjuxtaposed to the inner surfaces of the carton body walls and positionedto overlie said lines of separation, said rim forming member beingsecured to the inner surfaces of said body walls below said lines ofseparation and projecting upwardly therebeyond toward the hinged end ofsaid end closure, a locking flap hingedly connected to the upper edge ofsaid rim forming member, said locking flap being foldable outwardly tooverlie the outer surface of said rim forming member subsequent toinitial opening of said cover part, whereby to provide a friction lockfor retaining said cover part in reclosed position.

13. The structure claimed in claim 12 wherein said locking flap, in theinitially closed carton structure, is detachably secured to a secondflap member secured to the undersurface of the liftable portion of saidendclosure.

14. In a reclosable dispensing carton, a side wall, an end wall, and aside wall in articulation, a first flap member hingedly connected to theupper edge of said end wall, end closure flaps hingedly connected to theupper edges of said side walls, said first flap member and said closureflaps lying in infolded condition with said first flap member innermostand adhesively secured to the inner surface of one at least of saidclosure flaps, a second flap member detachably connected to said firstflap member, and a rim-forming extension connected to said second flap,said rim forming extension being juxtaposed to the inner surfaces ofsaid side and end walls and projecting downwardly from the upper edgesthereof, a line of separation extending between the opposite side edgesof said end wall and spaced downwardly from the upper edge thereof,lines for separation in said side walls extending from the ends of saidfirst named line of separation upwardly to corresponding points at theupper edges of said side walls, said rim forming member being of a sizeto project downwardly below said lines for severance and being securedto the inner surfaces of said side and end walls in areas below saidlines of severance, whereby to provide a liftable cover part separablefrom said carton along said lines of separation, said second flap memberbeing adapted to separate from said first flap member upon initiallifting of said cover part and thereafter foldable outwardly relative tosaid rim forming member to provide a friction locking element engageableby said liftable cover part upon reclosure thereof.

15. The structure claimed in claim 14 wherein said rim forming memberhas a central portion juxtaposed to the inner surface of said end wall,and wing portions juxtaposed to the inner surfaces of said walls, andwherein said second flap member is connected to the upper edge of thecentral portion of said rim-forming member.

16. The carton structure claimed in claim 15 wherein said second flapmember is of a width no greater than the distance between the upper edgeof said end wall and the line of separation therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

